WCAT Radio The Open Door (August 11, 2017)

Economic Participation. We believe that the U.S. economy should be built around the needs of the human person, rather than focused primarily on consumption and the accumulation of wealth. It should create opportunities for self-sufficiency, while encouraging ownership of our responsibility to look out for one another. Government has a role in fulfilling this responsibility in partnership with the private sector. We urge solidarity among people from every strata of society: rich, poor, and middle class, We are committed to building an economy that is fair and transparent, using models of production and distribution that are local, responsible, and sustainable.We, therefore, support:Economic policies that expand opportunities for the poor, and rebuilding and supporting a vibrant middle class, the erosion of which is a fundamental threat to our democracy.The right of workers to be compensated for the wealth they create and to participate in economic decision-making.A fair and progressive tax system that ends subsidies and exemptions which disproportionately benefit the wealthy and favor speculation over work.Labor and consumer protection laws to offset disproportionate market power.The widest range of opportunities to own productive property, including family-owned businesses and worker-owned cooperatives.The free market approach over the command market approach, recognizing the benefits of free and fair markets for the voluntary exchange of goods and services.A review of existing regulations and taxes, to assess their impact on small businesses.Strong antitrust enforcement to preserve a free market and the elimination of regulations designed to unfairly inhibit competition by smaller firms.The repeal of subsidies that encourage urban sprawl and discourage local farming and production.Laws that discourage corporate farm ownership and help sustain family farms and rural communities.Exploring state and local land value taxes as an alternative to traditional property taxes.Reform of intellectual property laws that allow corporations to control seed life, and thus control a disproportionate amount of our food sources.Investigating possible alternatives to stigmatized welfare programs and regressive entitlements such as the use of Universal Basic Income to supplement wages and share the benefits of nature and technology.